Happy Groundhog Day, Poetry Paraders! According to rodent legend, if it is cloudy when the groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, winter will soon end. On the other hand, if the sun is shining and the groundhog sees its shadow, winter will continue for six more weeks.
The verdict is in: World-Famous and Highly-Respected Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil forecasts an early spring! This comes as welcome-- yet somewhat incredible-- news for winter-weary Poetry Paraders who have built their share of snowmen and watched their share of dripping icicles this season. We've learned through bitter experience, though, that arguing with a groundhog never ends well, so let's accept his happy announcement, stay safe and warm inside our homes-that-look-like-igloos, and dream of green grass, yellow daffodils, and blue skies.
Today’s poem is short and silly and fun, with a playful rhythm and rhyme—perfect for the holiday it celebrates. The poem uses personification, a figure of speech that gives human characteristics to animals, non-living things, or ideas.
Poets use personification to bring a poem to life. Imagine giving human characteristics to an octopus, a slice of pepperoni pizza, a soccer ball, a Jealous feeling: those would be poems worth reading!
In today's featured poem, the unknown author asks the groundhog questions and waits for an answer. Groundhogs, of course, don’t grin—but the poem is all in good fun, just like Groundhog Day:
To the Groundhog
author unknown
Will you
Won't you
See your shadow?
Will it
Won't it
Really matter?
Do you
Don't you
Grin to see
People
Take you
Seriously?
The LMC, believe it or not, has several picture books about groundhogs, also known as woodchucks or land beavers, and some of them use personification. We have Punxsutawney Phil, Gregory Groundhog, and Zal the Woodchuck waddling around the pages of our collection!
Personally, I like to use alliteration when naming groundhogs. Alliteration is the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words: Greta Groundhog, Wally Woodchuck, and Larry Land Beaver, for example. If you were going to write a poem using personification on Groundhog Day, what would you name your groundhog?
This groundhog had to scrap the ice off his body today! One of my favorite picture books, Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day by Abby Levine...has a great allitertive name too!
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